NYT: Koch Brothers Money Fuels Wisconsin Fight

[impik]

WASHINGTON — Among the thousands of demonstrators who jammed the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds this weekend was a well-financed advocate from Washington who was there to voice praise for cutting state spending by slashing union benefits and bargaining rights.

The visitor, Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, told a large group of counterprotesters who had gathered Saturday at one edge of what otherwise was a mostly union crowd that the cuts were not only necessary, but they also represented the start of a much-needed nationwide move to slash public-sector union benefits.

What Mr. Phillips did not mention was that his Virginia-based nonprofit group, whose budget surged to $40 million in 2010 from $7 million three years ago, was created and financed in part by the secretive billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch.

State records also show that Koch Industries, their energy and consumer products conglomerate based in Wichita, Kan., was one of the biggest contributors to the election campaign of Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, a Republican who has championed the proposed cuts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/us/22koch.html?_r=2&ref=politics

[polichick]

1. Glad this is getting out in the mainstream media...

It's hard to believe that middle class Republican voters continue to support people who don't give a shit about them.

[6000eliot]

2. How can we be sure we aren't giving these scumbags any of our dollars?

Does anyone have a list of their energy and consumer products?

[rfranklin]

3. Here's some info...

Among Koch Industries’ better known subsidiaries across various industries<15> are:

Georgia-Pacific paper and pulp company, maker of Brawny paper towels, Angel Soft toilet paper, Mardi Gras napkins and towels and Quilted Northern toilet paper.
Invista, a polymer and fibers company that makes Stainmaster carpet, and Lycra fiber, among other products.
Koch Pipeline Company LP, that owns and operates 4,000 miles of pipeline used to transport oil, natural gas liquids and chemicals.
Flint Hill Resources LP, that operates oil refineries in six states.
Koch Fertilizer, LLC, owns or has interests in fertilizer plants the United States, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Italy, among others.<16><17> In October 2010, a plant in Venezuela was nationalized by the government.<18[br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries

[Deep13]

4. Wait, this whole thing is for the rich?!

I'm shock--shocked, I tell you--to find rich people trying to buy legislation!

[Bluenorthwest]

5. K and R for calling out the Republicans!!!

NT

[liberal N proud]

6. The rich own the politicians

[Democat]

7. Democrats should run ads across Wisconsin painting Walker as an out of state interest!

This is a gift to Democrats if they knew how to fight.

It should be so easy to paint Walker as a slave to the Koch pocketbook and also to point out that the state is now being run by people from out of state.

But modern Democrats seem to pass on every opportunity like this given to them.